27 Facts About Whang-od

Whang-od Oggay, known as Maria Oggay, is a tattoo artist from the village of Buscalan within Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines.

Whang-od is often described as the "last" and oldest mambabatok and is part of the Butbut people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group.

Whang-od was nominated for the National Living Treasures Award in 2017.

Whang-od started tattooing at the age of 15, a traditional artform that she learned from her father who was considered a master tattooist in the region.

Whang-od was an exception due to her talent and potential seen by her father.

In later life, Whang-od's chosen apprentices consisted of only women, breaking the patrimonial tradition for the first time in recorded Kalinga history.

Whang-od has been doing the batok, the traditional hand-tapped tattooing, on male headhunters who earned the tattoos by protecting villages or killing enemies.

Whang-od was first tattooed as a teenager with the designs consisting of a ladder and a python.

Whang-od used to practice fi-ing until headhunting was discouraged by the government.

Whang-od uses designs found in nature and basic geometric shapes.

Whang-od has numerous signature tattoos, but since 2017, her signature tattoo is composed of three dots, representing herself and her two apprentices, depicted as a continuation of the art form from the older to the next generation.

When she was very young, Whang-od had a boyfriend named Ang-Batang, a Butbut warrior.

Whang-od performed a batok on Ang-Batang after the warrior's first victory in a battle.

Ang-Batang died as the result of a logging accident when Whang-od was 25 years old.

Whang-od later decided never to marry and has no children, leaving no direct descendants to continue her legacy as a mambabatok or traditional Kalinga tattoo artist.

Whang-od had relationships with other Kalinga warriors, but remained unmarried due to her vow.

Whang-od believes that if someone outside the bloodline starts tattooing, the tattoos will become infected.

Whang-od has trained Grace Palicas, her grandniece, and Ilyang Wigan, another bloodline successor, to continue her people's tattoo artistry.

In 2015, then Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago urged her colleagues in the Philippine Senate through a resolution that Whang-od should be nominated as one of the National Living Treasures, who are of equal rank to National Artists.

Whang-od added that she aids her community through tattooing tourists and she is practicing traditional Kalinga art form as means of living and therefore should be eligible for both the National Living Treasure Award and the National Artists Award.

Whang-od was formally nominated to the National Living Treasures Award during the 66th Manila Fame event on October 21,2017.

NCCA is finalizing the documents to confer Whang-od and have the Philippine President to sign it.

Once conferred, Whang-od would get a gold medallion, a monthly allowance of Php 14,000 and a starting grant of Php 100,000.

On February 14,2024, Whang-od received the Presidential Medal of Merit from President Bongbong Marcos.

Whang-od was present during Dutdutan Tattoo Expo 2012 held in the Philippines where she had her own booth.

Whang-od's image is included in an exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.

In 2017, Whang-od was featured in the Dayaw series of the NCCA and ABS-CBN News Channel, where her contributions to the country's national identity and heritage were presented by former NCCA Chairman Felipe De Leon Jr.